For some, the thought of going to Ireland sounds like a dream vacation, but for Royalmont Academy students, their recent trip there had a much deeper purpose, a pilgrimage.

Josh Ater, Head of School at Royalmont Academy, expressed the importance of taking a pilgrimage, “Too often, we forget the universality of the Church, especially here in the United States. When you have the opportunity to see, feel, listen, smell and even taste what it was like for the great saints of the Church, it becomes so much more real. At the same time, you realize that we, too, are called to be saints.”

Margaret Agnew, a rising senior at Royalmont Academy, noted several reasons why she was eager to attend the pilgrimage, but said, “Most importantly, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to really grow in my faith and become more of the person God made me to be.”

Agnew said the pilgrimage held special meaning for her because she had never been to Europe, and her ancestors immigrated from Ireland to the U.S.

Being on a pilgrimage wasn’t new for Agnew, who had previously pilgrimaged to Missouri. But this one had many unique elements, most notably  in  the  activities students participated in while in Ireland.

Among her favorite experiences in Ireland, Agnew mentioned: Visiting and praying in St. Margaret of Scotland’s Basilica; Climbing the seat of King Arthur; Visiting the well of St. Brigid; and Being at Knock.

“That was absolutely amazing!” said Agnew of the visit to Knock. “Praying inside the little shrine over the site where Our Lady of Knock appeared, walking around the beautiful campus, being able to go to Mass there, even getting holy water from the site to bring home—it was incredible!”

Ater added that the students returned home with invaluable experiences.

“For most, this was the first time away from home on a major trip like this,” said Ater, “even the first time on an airplane. Traveling to an entirely new culture stretches you as you experience new ways of daily life, ranging from new food, new currency, even driving on a different side of the road. Yet, while you visit where so many of our saints have lived, where miracles have occurred, and where our Catholic and Christian brothers and sisters are living out their daily witness of the faith, it helps us better understand the universality of the Church, it helps you grow in your faith, it draws you closer to each other and, most importantly, closer to Christ.”

Agnew agreed that she grew in her faith during the pilgrimage.

“While on the pilgrimage, I felt God’s presence in everything and everyone—all the churches, all the sites, all the people around me and even inside of myself,” said Agnew. “Everywhere I would look, I would be able to sense my God there, whether He was buried deep within the soul of one of my friends, or He was speaking to me from the altar at Mass—He never left my side on the pilgrimage, and I never left His.”

Agnew and Ater shared that, if given the opportunity to make a pilgrimage, it can be a life-changing experience, and this is an important part of Royalmont Academy’s mission. “A pilgrimage forces you to look to God and plead with Him for help as a child would—you are His child, either His son or daughter; a life-changing experience, and this is an important part of Royalmont Academy’s mission. “A pilgrimage forces you to look to God and plead with Him for help as a child would—you are His child, either His son or daughter; you are going to need Him, your Father, for mental, physical, and spiritual stability throughout the entire trip,” said Agnew. “And the best part is He will always be there! He is not going to abandon you at any time, no matter what— He is going to do all that He can to help build you up and strengthen you!”=

“At Royalmont we believe our mission is to form strong Christian leaders who are ready to go out and change the world for Christ,” said Ater. “Our integral formation approach to forming the entire student from an intellectual, human, spiritual and apostolic standpoint is lived out in our hallways every day.”

He continued, “The pilgrimage is a big example of how we bring this formation to our students, but it is also lived out daily in our hallways when students stop every time they pass our chapel to genuflect or make the sign of the cross, recognizing the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. … The pilgrimage is a capstone, [but, at Royalmont,] we aim to bring our students deeper along their personal journey towards Christ each and every day.”

This article appeared in the August 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.